Oklahoma Adds One to 2023 Signing Class

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By OU Media Relations
University of Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables announced the addition of in-state athlete Taylor Heim to OU's 2023 recruiting class Wednesday, the first day of the regular signing period.
Heim, a 6-4, 190-pound consensus three-star prospect from Yukon, was a major factor on both sides of the ball at Bethany High School. A member of The Oklahoman’s 2022 Little All-City First Team as a defensive back and the 2022 District 4A-II Co-Player of the Year, Heim registered a combined 79 tackles, 11 pass breakups and eight interceptions (six as a senior) over his last two seasons.
Offensively over the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, he passed for more than 2,300 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed for over 1,400 yards and 16 TDs. He also caught 20 passes for 287 yards and four scores. Heim helped Bethany to a 9-2 record and state playoff appearance as a senior and was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association 2023 All-State Game.
Heim also won the Class 4A state title in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 8.5 inches and helped Bethany’s 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams to state gold medals. He is also a standout on the Bronchos’ basketball team.
"Everything Taylor's done, he's autographed his work with excellence," said Venables. "He's a three-sport standout who also excels on the basketball court and is a state champion long jumper. In football, he did everything – playing quarterback, receiver, tight end, safety. He's just a long and very fluid and explosive athlete who shows great instincts and has a natural feel for the game. He's got an incredibly high motor and is tough and skilled – just tremendous skill for a long guy. And he's a really bright young man with a great work ethic and who is a leader. He's got all the traits you can't coach. We're super excited to add Taylor to this quality class of newcomers."
Heim is the 26th player in a 2023 OU signing class that ranks fourth nationally by ESPN and in the 247Sports composite. Twenty of the Sooners’ 26 signees are ranked as 4- or 5-star recruits on a 5-star scale.

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.
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